Aside from perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout, the Angels roster is chock full of question marks.

There are already two potential black holes in the Angels lineup – the left field platoon of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava along with second baseman Johnny Giavotella – in addition to a shortstop, first baseman and catcher with career batting averages below .260.

As for the heart of the Angels order, Albert Pujols, 36, will have to avoid injury to match the 40-home run 2015 season that landed the Angels a game short of a wild-card playoff berth. And newly minted cornerstone Kole Calhoun is being counted on to approach last year’s 83 RBIs, which surpassed his previous best season total by 25.

The Dodgers don’t have such towering obstacles to overcome – aside from perhaps the $70 million disabled list to be populated by at least 10 players when the season begins Monday in San Diego.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal is likely to join a group that includes Howie Kendrick, Andre Ethier, Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu, among others, after his sore forearm was evaluated in a minor league game in Arizona on Saturday.

Kendrick, who is suffering from a calf injury, has resumed baseball activities, taking batting practice on Saturday with plans to take live batting practice Sunday. But Roberts isn’t expecting Kendrick or Grandal to be in the lineup for Opening Day.

“I think right now we’re looking at (Grandal) being ready for the home opener (on April 12),” Roberts said. “I think that we’ve been pretty cautious up to this point and so it’s the same for Howie as well. So I think both guys will be back for the home opener.”

The Angels don’t have any apparent reinforcements on the way.

But there was a late addition last year who could provide a shot in the arm for a lineup in need of a boost in a key spot. Third baseman Yunel Escobar, acquired from the Nationals in a December trade, will hope to provide some stability for an Angels leadoff spot that collectively hit .280 last season, the worst in the league.

Escobar hit .453 in the spring, but grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to end the second inning on Saturday. If the Angels are to succeed, they are counting on a solid year from the 33-year-old Cuban, a career .281 hitter.

Unlike the Dodgers, the Angels lineup on Saturday resembled the team they expect to field on Opening Day when they host the Cubs, one of the most popular picks to win the World Series.

AL West teams on the rise like the Astros and Rangers likely won’t make the Angels attempt at just their second postseason appearance in seven years any easier.

Considering the offseason acquisitions of NL West foes the Giants and Diamondbacks, the Dodgers’ road to a fourth consecutive division title appears more difficult.

The goal, however, remains the same.

“We want to win the championship. We want to win a world championship,” Roberts said. “I think we can be as good as we want to be. You’ve got to play 162 games and at that point we’ll know. But I like our guys.”

Clay Fowler is the sports features and UCLA basketball writer for the Southern California News Group. He has been working for SCNG since 2006, when he moved to Southern California from his native Texas. He was born and raised in Dallas and graduated from the University of Texas in 2002. He lives in La Verne with his wife and son. He is probably craving Chinese food right now.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.